This is the third of the articles in the series “Marketing
Your Service Website like a Retailer”. This article will
focus on the organization of your website. There is a reason why
retailers place their products on the shelves the way they do.
Grocery stores, for example, place great importance on the layout
of the store as it guides you through each aisle so you can see
(and be tempted by) all the delicious items available for you to
take home. What can we learn about website design by studying
grocery store layouts?

When you first come into the doors of a grocery store you will
likely encounter one of three departments: bakery, floral or
produce. Why? Because these three departments have the most sensory
appeal. You may be attracted by the smell of the baked goods or the
colors of the produce or flowers. They grab your attention the
moment you walk into the store. Alternatively, another layout may
be to place the staples far away from each other. For example, milk
at the far end of the store while bread is available when you first
walk into the store. The psychology of that is to draw through the
store to force you to see the other items available for sale. It
works! How many times do we say “I only came in for a few
items” and we walk out with a cart full?
Read More

Many of us still believe in the old idea of Predestination, which
is very limiting, like blindly following a written prescription for
living. Many oriental stories begin with, “It is written . .
.” If Predestination truly existed, I think that would take
all the fun out of your life. It is the basis of religious and
governmental fundamentalism. No surprises are possible when the
future is entirely known and you are doomed to remain in your rut
for the balance of your existence here upon this wonderful and
surprising planet, watching the passing scene. Is that what you
really want?Read More

Most people know Jim Thorpe as the All-American, Native American
athlete. As a river guide, I know it goes well beyond that. Jim
Thorpe was named Wa-thohuck, meaning “bright path”
which is appropriate given his track record. Pun intended. In 1907,
he joined the track and field team at Carlisle Indian Industrial
School. He played minor-league baseball, then was named first-team
all American for football! In the 1912 Olympics, he won gold medals
in the pentathlon and decathlon. Shortly after, Thorpe was stripped
of his medals when they discovered that he got paid for playing
minor-league baseball.Read
More

You could buy a lot of things with $250 million. You
could make a big difference in your community by giving the money
to charitable causes. Or, you could sock it away and let it grow
for a rainy day.

We're pleased to say that our customers have an extra $250 million
in their pockets every year -- to use however they choose -- as a
result of efficiency programs designed to help them use energy
wisely.

Since 2010, customers have installed energy-efficient lights,
insulated and weatherized their properties, received in-home energy
audits, recycled old refrigerators, or put in energy-efficient
equipment like HVAC, refrigeration, water heaters and
appliances.
Read More

My father used to tell me "don't be a follower". I hated that
because he was really saying was No, I’m not going to buy you
the latest trendy jeans that everyone else has just because your
world will end if you don’t have them. Yes, I was a drama
queen but now that I’m an adult, I can see his point.
And the same thing can be said for how we as business owners market
or advertise our businesses.

One of the reasons we started Trends in Marketing was to help
business owners and other professionals stay updated on the trends
in technology, design and marketing. And let me tell you…it
is quite a job!

Back in 1996, Bill Gates coined the phrase “Content is
King.” He envisioned the potential of creating educational,
informative and creative content and how the internet will be
useful for delivering that content. And yes, content drives the
internet and we have all benefitted from the ability to connect
instantly to content about any subject.

But as with all trends, they lose their sparkle when everyone and
anyone jump on the bandwagon. We lose originality, individuality
and the ability to stand out. My father wanted me to be
different and a leader not a follower; but as a teenager, I was
only interested in being popular and being noticed. The funny thing
is, you are more likely to be noticed when you are different. My
father was right. And I can see his lesson playing out in the
business world as we all seek to do what we perceive is working for
other businesses. I guess it’s just human nature.

One of the reasons online marketing or inbound marketing became
popular was because the marketing gurus said that we were getting
tired being bombarded with messages telling us to buy their
products. Traditional advertising in the form of TV ads, radio ads,
magazine ads, telemarketing, and direct mail began to suffer
because we now had the ability to tune out their messages through
remote control and caller ID. So inbound marketing became popular
and the ideas was to pull the consumers towards you by offering
them interesting and educational content.Read More